Lady Sovereign
by Izabella's Jacked
Summary: How can you be so totally sure that I'm the one?" Mikan looked at them incredulously. "Well... it's the facts, my dear. There for leading us to 'so totally' believe you are, indeed, to whom we have awaited."
1. Intro

**Intro**

There's a tale that many believe to be only myth. Something so incredibly rare and unheard of, that humans would have a hard time accepting otherwise. And once you've heard it, I wouldn't be surprised if you think me crazy. Because all you are able to do is think logically. The closest you get to irrational things just turn out to be complicated situations, I understand, but that doesn't necessarily mean they don't happen. So whether you consider it or not, the tale I am about to recite to you is right, that much I promise.

It was a long time ago, hidden in the medieval period. The daughter of a noble was secreted from the world by her protective older brother. She was so dear to him that he could not bare to see her marry off to the wrong man. So, he took it upon himself to find her soul mate, and every night he would walk the streets of the village market, searching for the boy with eyes and hair that shimmered of the purest gold.

But he worried.

What if she wondered out of the castle while he was away? Or worse, the garden premises? Bordering their grounds was a dangerous forest that had numerous legends of deaths; every time someone died, their body was lost and all that remained was a curious object. All the items that he'd heard of were rubbish of sorts and two things were never the same. For that reason, he didn't entirely believe the warnings, but still took precautions in the interest of his sister. So, he locked her up. Everyday she chose to spend hours on end laying in the garden and marveling at the flowers. Every night she roamed the halls, in search of something to overtake her boredom. And they were happy like that, for sixteen years they lived harmoniously and Dorothea wasn't one to question her brother's coming and goings.

Then one peculiar dream struck her interest. At the beginning, the sound of laughter, pure and soft, caught her attention. Then, it was accompanied with a slight gruffer chuckle. She stood on an open hill, grass swaying and brushing her bare ankles. Dorothea faced a man and women holding hands, clearly amused at nothing. She became confused at their happiness and stepped towards them.

"Why be ye so merry?" Her words fell in deaf ears as the two looked at nothing but one another and smiled in a glee she did not recognize. But that twinkle in her eyes as she gazed upon him, the extra upturn to his smile as he caressed her lovingly, it was too perfect in Dorothea's mind. Then suddenly they were gone, replaced with the emptiness of her dark ceiling. She stared up, panting even though she hadn't done anything.

After that, Dorothea was determined to unearth what they had. She vowed to find such overwhelming joy even if it drove her to insanity.

She told her brother of the strange but uplifting vision, and he was careful to get each description she so vividly remembered. Every word was imprinted deeply into his memory for inspiration and drive.

Later that morning, he decided to leave earlier than usual, warning Dorothea that if she left the property, there would be grave consequences. He wasn't about to bar her inside for he would be more than just selfish to take away what little time she had in the gardens. Satisfied that she fully knew the seriousness of her position, he left near sunset, dressed as a commoner with no more than a cloak to veil his identity.

When he was out of her vision, Dorothea grabbed a random book off his study and lean against a familiar Oak Tree. She had read it already many times, but her boredom was nothing to sneeze at, and opted to daydream of her revelation. She wanted to be like that to, so carefree and peaceful. Outwardly she gave a distant sigh, barely noticing a small creature fly to the corner of her page. It shined, and if you were there, you would have probably thought it illuminated its own light. Dorothea gasped and gazed upon the mesmerizing silver beauty.

The most delicate butterfly she'd ever laid eyes on.

She felt it, the same emotion from her dream; it was coming from the odd being. Her attention became directed solely on the subtle insect and she unconsciously dropped her book to her side. She stood, her eyes unwaveringly planted toward the suspicious pest, and began to unsteadily fallow the ball of light into the thicket of trees, becoming engulfed without trouble.

Luckily, one of her chambermaids had witnessed the scene and felt an ominous aura coming from the strange winged life form. It was the most unsettling, foreign feeling she was placed with and being the cleverest out of all the servants, she hurried to contact the young master.

But deep in the woods, the situation was far past fixing. The butterfly had disappeared between branches, and Dorothea couldn't place which belonged to which anymore. Sounds, horrifyingly frightful sounds surrounded her, and she found herself swiveling to face where those reverberations came from. She wasn't able to see anything, and the only luminosity she had was the pink and orange hue of the shrouded sky. Dorothea panicked, and lost all senses, including her intuition of where the castle was situated. I guess you can say she was blind to almost everything.

Now before any of this, Dorothea was a very calm and cheery girl, obedient and kind, but that was because she was never truly exposed to the real world. The single form of human contact she'd ever experienced was that of the presence of her mother, father, brother and servants. So now, with this overwhelming feeling of rush and scare, she had a perfectly acceptable reason to be in such a pathetic state of frenzy.

Dorothea ran away, desperate to find an exit to her anguish. But sadly, fate was not so generous.

She finally collapsed in between two majestic oaks, and maybe it was just her, but they seemed to look down as her breathing became shallow. Her arm twitched from a dull, but unexpected ache in the back of her hand. She struggled to move her muscles one last time, using the strength she had thought yet to possess. There was red staining her hand, and it dripped off her fingers in the most soothing rhythm. Plop, plop, plop. She realized that the bark of a tree had grazed her, and the timber in this forest was the farthest thing from soft. Her body quaked, scared, tired and sore; the most she could do was watch the liquid with lessening interest. But she felt that with each passing drop, the sorrow inside her grew, and eventually, they spilled.

Unstoppable tears leaked quickly and repeatedly, and she felt so powerless, so… vulnerable. She hated this feeling. Dorothea pressed the heel of her palm to her eye in an attempt to reduce her bawl to, at the very least, a quiet whimper, but that ended with no avail.

So she let her tears fall next to her blood. It was unusual, the way they shined so artistically beside each other, but at the same time, it had such an eerie suspicion. Something bad was going to happen; anyone who saw it could feel it deep with their bones. This was no ordinary way to pass on.

And so she died, lying on the dust of the narrow path she'd so coincidentally stumbled upon. I'm not entirely sure of the events that fallowed, but the young mistress's body seemed to have disappeared into thin air.

How do you know so much if there was no one to have witnessed it? Is that what you're asking? Well it's simple really, there was someone watching. Someone who could not interfere no matter how much she wanted to. That person… was me, the cleverest of the young mistress's chambermaids. After sending forewarning to my lady's sibling, I dashed to where I was last to have seen her. I picked up her trail quite easily, having spotted her dainty feet prints, and discretely looked after her. I wasn't able to do anything, not a single thing, and to this day I still don't know why. My body… it felt like I was being pushed out by a barrier. My legs wouldn't move and my arms felt like led as I tried to shove my weight through invisible air. Yes it sounds crazy, yes I'm telling the truth, but like I've mentioned, this story would sound preposterous to you. There are things I cannot explain, but I saw it with my own two eyes, I swear! And after some time of struggling… I finally realized I could do nothing. That my job was over and I didn't have a child-like figure to care for anymore.

That thought drove me to my breaking point. As I watched my mistress die, I watched all our memories die along with her. When she would cry because her brother was being too overprotective. When she would summon me in the middle of the night because she couldn't sleep. And the one day she felt spontaneous and jumped the back wall as we spent the day pretending to be commoners. I tried to surpass a giggle remembering the face she made at the color of her garb. She made a point (after whining for nearly and hour) that purple wasn't her shade and had me trade with her.

It was the hardest thing I was forced to do; witness the death of my only joy. But I did, mentally sending her words of reassurance. I couldn't make a sound. I didn't want her to see me like that, broken and pitiful. And if she noticed me there, she may have mistaken my helplessness and sorrow as watching her die happily. There she was, vanishing before my eyes, and I did nothing to save her. And she would leave the world, cursing the very earth I stood on… cursing me in general.

I didn't want that.

So I wept silently beside her, knowing that even with my obvious presence, she would not be able to see me. She died on the year of our lord, twentieth of June; still vaguely know to the public.

It had told you her body was gone. I lowered my head to wipe my tears for a moment, and when I looked up, she was no where to be seen. I took a shaky step forward, noting that the barrier was no longer blocking me, and knelt by the place I was sure she'd been. And there it laid, a beautiful crystal necklace strung together by a deep red string. It was absolutely breath taking. But as I touched it, my bones became cold, but lit with fire at the same time. Ferocity burned within my eyes but my eyelids drooped down in a defeated manner.

I remembered those emotions. The same ones my dear Dorothea had never gotten the chance to express until today.

Sorrowful determination.

The ruby-like thread represented her fearful, short lived adventure, purpose for life the only thing keeping her going. And the tear-blue/clear crystals that hung down showed her sadness and forfeit. The two clashed in what seemed to be an unstoppable, disturbing rollercoaster. And you look at the piece of jewelry and you can't help but feel admiration. The tears accented the blood and vise versa. It was utterly breath taking.

After a long while of reflecting and mourning, young master had arrived and went shocked at the sight. There was no word to describe the amount of grief that surrounded him as he walked back to the castle, holding the necklace like it was about to break. Poor man, his heart was torn straight out of his chest and thrown somewhere he would never be able to find.

We signaled his parents to come and hear of the important news.

Her mother and father were devastated, and her brother was close to committing suicide. To his grave he blamed himself for the death of his younger sister, and was reluctant to take the title 'King'. Before the burial, King Peter, Queen Anastasia, and Prince Rupert announced the existence of their recently deceased princess, telling them of the impossible story and showing the magnificent charm for even the smallest of evidence. The citizens, we took notice, believed half-heartedly, and attended the ceremony in respects to their sweet lady. No one really understood, and as years went by, everyone but the royal family forgot of Dorothea's existence. The royal family would never forget, because engraved on the back of the middle jewel said:

_No other daughter shall be born_

'_Till the 'true heir' shows_

_And out of the darkness comes Arlex_

_By the rule of 'her'_

And the prophecy was correct. There was never another girl born among the line of regal. So they decided that if the necklace said this, then the necklace should be able to lead them to their last female monarch. Three days later, Rupert's grandson, King Conley, disguised himself as a wondering traveler and headed to small trinket store far down south of the city. He gave it to the jeweler and left discreetly back to the place where him and his descendants waited patiently for 'her'. But not long afterwards, Arlex was cast in darkness, doomed to be in the eyes of their enemies until their true ruler came and saved them from their suffering. And so began the legend of 'the she ruler', the one who possesses the ability to save her people.

The one called Mikan Sakura.

**Hey everyone! Okay, we just want to clarify a few things. First off, this ****IS**** a Gakuen Alice fanfic; this is just the intro, promise! And secondly, yes, this is our first fanfic together, so please be nice.**

**We would love it if you guys reviewed. More reviews means more updates. Hurry up and send something, we'll be waiting eagerly!**

**Suggestions are warmly welcomed and will be commented on at the end of the chapters, so if you're into free publicity, we're an easy ride. ;P**

**Luv You People! Peace!**

**-Izabella's Jacked**


	2. I

"Ah no, it's seeping through my cloths!" Mikan shrieked. "Oh god, oh god the ice cream! Help me Hotaru! Help me please!" Hotaru leaned against the counter, watching blankly as her friend panicked. "It's your fault for carrying so many boxes at once." She made not move to assist, responding in an uninterested manner with her trademark monotone voice. Unknowingly (to her), her mask of impassiveness was slightly more off guard than usual. And sad to say, a certain dairy drenched best friend noticed her subtle change. How could she not really? Considering Mikan looked straight into the eyes of whom she speaks with. She was bound to see a murky tinge in her stare sooner or later.

Hotaru's paper hat was discarded on the table, fashionably ugly and plain as ever while her apron as lying unwanted on the floor, wrinkled in a ball near her black and blue vans. According to the book, she was technically out of uniform, but since winter didn't bring in a lot of business, their boss hadn't really cared. "Hotaru!" Mikan whined, "Its cold! How am I supposed to walk out in that freezing weather with this abomination of a T-shirt?" There was a quick squeal, then the sound of rapid panting, and finally her complaining continued.

Mikan was actually more out of the dress code than Hotaru was at the moment. She wore the hat, skirt, apron, and white tennis shoes, but she'd forgotten to grab her orange button up top from the wash. Had it been a summer rush, which is what they refer a busy day to, she would have been made to work back in the store room the entire time, surrounded by frozen boxes and closets stocked full of unused cups. Mikan hated it back there. She always complained that it was too cold and cramped, creepy even. But since no one had stepped through the store's entrance yet, asking for a double scoop of rocky rode, it wasn't as much of a big deal.

Hotaru sighed and walked over to the coat rack behind the 'employees only' door. She grabbed something and handed it to Mikan, who, in return, took it happily. "I got another one in my locker." Mikan instantly shot up and tried to envelop Hotaru in an over-ecstatic hug. "Thank you! I knew you wouldn't leave a friend alone! You're so nice Hotaru!" But she was dodged and ended up tripping over the apron on the ground. "You're still covered in ice cream," Hotaru stated bluntly. Mikan just laughed, cleaning the majority of it off with a wet rag, and hummed happily as she tugging the sweatshirt over her head. It was a size too large and looked bulkier than if it was just hanging on a rack, but it warmed quickly and covered any stain that may have been left behind.

"I'm taking my break. Tell Boss I'm leaving and I'll have your jacket in by tomorrow." Hotaru raised an eyebrow, "Tomorrow? Why not later?" Mikan didn't answer right away and just smiled and waved innocently, already half way out the door, "Because it's warm and I want it. Be back in a few!" She ran into the snow, purposely ignoring the fact that she'd jacked her friend's clothing, and jogged to her house, watching with childish joy as she blew visible puffs of air in front of her face. Her apartment complex wasn't very far, maybe less than half a mile from where she stood, and anywhere she may have needed to go was even closer than the shop. School was only an ally walk and turn away, her friends lived around the neighborhood, and the church where the cemetery her parents where buried was north and up a hill.

After the death of her parents, and since she had no known relatives, the poor orphan was sent to live in multiple homes. Gossip of Mikan's struggle had been carried throughout the district and she soon became the community's 'favorite child', meaning over the years, she was able to become real friendly with everyone. The adults loved her like she was their own offspring, the elders took pride in telling her stories about the olden days and the kids loved when she would babysit. She was literally raised by strangers and eventually grew a personality that has the ability to switch from dependant to independent along with a character that charms and sways until you have no choice but to enjoy her. She'd thought about it before, if she were to raise herself, but was never able to imagine how she would have turned out. All she knew was that she would have been different; much different.

Her apartment looked as if it had been carelessly dumped with snow from a giant shovel in the heavens. The steps and platforms were perfectly untouched but the roof was almost unrecognizable. Mikan smiled and jogged toward the stairs, hopping from step to every other step. The ice wasn't too bad, and though she may have been clumsier than the average human, her shoe had enough traction to push her back into balance if she ever strayed.

Mikan reached the second floor and pivoted left on her heel robotically, afterward giggling at her childishness. Goofing around and slacking off were only two of her multiple hobbies, while in a close third was watching reruns of old time shows.

Her footsteps made a dull 'tap, tap' on the concrete flooring as she fallowed each set of golden numbers with her eyes, as if she hadn't memorized them since the age of eight. "Two-oh-seven… two-oh-seven… ah ha! There you are you little bugger!" Mikan smiled broadly and fiddled with the keys in her pocket. She lifted them out gently, carefully flicked it in and twisted the knob, yelling out an unnecessary, "I'm home!" while slipping her shoes off.

The apartment she lived in was small and quaint, tables cluttered with random notes for school and books that lay opened, articles of clothing scattered in several different spots. Her sense of organization wasn't exactly superb, but was as good as it got for a high school student. She bobbed her head up and down to the beat of a song that she'd heard earlier and made her way to her closet. Again, her room was dark and left little space to maneuver in, but felt acceptable and appropriate for her lifestyle and character. Her blanket was thrown carelessly to the side of her mattress and her pillows were positioned at odd angles near the foot of her bed. The white blinds hung crookedly, hidden behind a blue curtain drawn back only on one side. Her walls remained white, a portrait of pictures made up entirely of her friends decorated the back of her headboard wall. Her vanity was simple and wooden, the surface split into different sections: things related to school, things related to social events and/or business, and a small, pink jewelry box off to the corner.

Mikan had never really grasped the concept of 'presentation' as some of the girls referred it to her at school, so she didn't have much makeup and her accessories were kept to the maximum of rubber bands (not even hair bands) and a black, wide brimmed hat the guys had given her as a birthday gift last year. They told her about how they couldn't figure out what to get her, because she didn't show too much interest in anything, and in the end, bought it at one of the stores made especially for males. Mikan began to laugh almost hysterically when she heard and everyone became confused. That is until she explained that they had unknowingly purchased a guy hat only. The boys blushed and insisted on returning it, but she merely wiped the tears from her eyes and wore it the entire rest of the day. She's fashioned it many times afterwards, knowing that it was obvious to everyone she was wearing something made for boys alone, and was happily surprised when she receive comments on how she was the only girl who could pull it off. She wasn't sure of that, but she understood quite well that wearing a dude's hat wasn't major. It wasn't like a whole wardrobe switch or anything.

"Um… which one's clean…?" Mikan rummaged through the mess of plastic hangers and horribly strewn clothing that was either wrinkled or stained. She continued to fumble through every piece of attire she had and constantly threw a mismatched sneaker that blocked her way over her shoulder. It was a wonder how she was able to dress herself every morning. "Ah ha! This one's good!" She pulled out a white T-Shirt with a purple tank top attached underneath. It was specifically worn to the gym and the gym alone, but this was an exception. Mikan made a mental note to go to the laundry after her shift was covered.

She quickly changed and threw on Hotaru's jacket before darting out her apartment again, mindful to lock her door. Mikan began to hum louder as she skipped to the stairwell and happily walked down. If she didn't hurry, Boss'll throw a fit and make her clean the whole store before locking up. And everyone knew there was no way she'd be able to handle that on her own. Work, that's fine, school, no brainer, but chores was where she failed. I mean come on! You saw where she lived.

With a shiver, she picked up the pace, but didn't seem to go any faster with the harsh wind picking up. It blew chunks of hard ice in her face, and she had to place a hand on her nose and mouth to breathe properly. It was shocking. Only moments ago there wasn't a flake in the sky, but now it was practically a blizzard. _Freak _w_eather _she thought.

The shop was close, Mikan could see the doors, but she doubted if she could last any longer. One more step and she would surely trip into a pile of snow, and she already changed! She looked to her left and saw a small, humble shop without a sign. Mikan furrowed her eyebrows, _Strange. I've never noticed that there before. _But the wind cut her off from reading into it too much. She hurriedly made her way to the entrance and pulled one the handle. The store was open.

Mikan pushed herself through and collapsed on the warm wooden floor. "Oh man, that was rough." "You can say that again." Her head instantly shot up and spotted someone sitting at the front desk. He smiled at her, "Why, you are indeed very pretty. How is it that you've come into this old shop?" Mikan kept staring, until she realized her rudeness and blushed, standing up from her previous sprawled position. "Um," she cleared her throat, "the storm outside was harsh, so I came to the nearest sanctuary." Mikan turned to look out the window, and turned back around at the man. He seemed to be around his early thirties, maybe late twenties, and was tall, even if he was sitting down. He had long black hair hidden beneath a black hood and, was it her, or was he wearing lipstick? The man chuckled, "I too have been caught up in a gale once or twice; completely understandable." He smiled at her again and pulled out an old box.

"The storm's not gonna let up any time soon. Mind if I kill time by telling you a story?" He placed it on the counter and looked up as Mikan walked towards him. "What is it?" she looked in wonder. "Well you see, a long time ago, there was a secret princess named Dorothea. She had a protective older brother who, in his way, shielded her from all harm, locking her away in a secluded castle near the northern part England. She was happy, content, but what she longed for most was love. She envisioned, in her dream one night, a couple strolling in a meadow together, hand in hand. Well, you can imagine her longing when being exposed to the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen. So, after having told this to her brother, he became determined to find a man who would make his precious sister's dreams come true. But, I'm sad to say, Dorothea never got a chance."

Mikan looked up at him with a shocked expression, her complete and undivided attention solely on him. "What happened?" The man shifted, propping his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his laced fingers. "She went into the forbidden woods, which bordered their property. It is said that anyone who enters, never comes out." Mikan gasped. He nodded, "the poor girl disappeared, leaving this necklace in her place." The man opened the box and there sat the most beautiful piece of jewelry Mikan had ever laid eyes on. Rudy red, crystal diamond, such an odd pair, but amazingly right when matched. She reached out and lifted it from the container, marveling at it's delicate yet strong image. "The kingdom fell to ruin. A once peaceful land fell pray to those in the shadows. And no one was able to escape it's penetrating grasp."

Mikan scrunched up her nose and made a curious glace toward him. "Then what?" He leaned back and stared at the ceiling, "Well there are many other versions of what happened next, but those are from people who interpreted it into something they believe. What they don't know is," he looked at her, "the kingdom still exists. And it's still overruled by it's enemies." Her eyes grew wide, "It's true?!" The man chuckled, "of course it's true. Would I have told you all this if it wasn't?" "But I thought you were just telling me some kind of legend or something! No way something like that could be true!" "Like that?" he arched an eyebrow. "Fairytale!" she exclaimed. "No one just disappears! That's simply unheard of!" The man smirked calmly, "I took you to be one who enjoyed fairytales." Mikan blushed a bit, "It's not that I dislike them, they're perfectly fine, but to believe wholeheartedly in childish dreams, well I would never." She crossed her arms and turned her head stubbornly. You could tell she didn't back up any of what she said.

The man chuckled and stood from his chair. He grabbed the necklace off the table and walked behind her. "I see. I'm sorry to have expressed such foolish behavior. Please accept this as a token of my apologies." He lifted the accessory over her head and hooked it around her neck. "Wh-What? Oh no no no no no no no! I couldn't take this! This is Lady Dorothea's, not mine!" Mikan slapped a hand over her mouth and blush deep red. She'd given away the fact that she very well did believe in the story. But the hooded figure merely laughed her off and insisted on her keeping it. "Its decades old my love, no one wants an antique anymore. They much prefer newer over history. I'd hate to see such a precious thing be wasted, and I have a feeling someone like you would take care of it just fine." He smiled.

Mikan hesitated, "But… are you sure?" "Completely," he looked outside. "Well, I do think our time together has come to an end. It was a pleasure meeting you," he gave a playful bow. Mikan giggled and curtsied. "Same to you." With a bright smile she headed out the door. Then, just as she was going to leave, a thought stuck her mind. She poked her head back inside and said, "I never did catch a name." The man smiled, "Just call me Persona." She grinned, "Persona it is!" And she ran towards the ice cream parlor.

Too bad she didn't catch his smile turn sour.

**(^.^) ( ^.^ ) (^.^)**

**Well I suppose that was a good enough chapter. Hope nothing threw you off. Tell me if you've got anything to say.**

**Haha, well my writing skills aren't exactly honed yet. But hey, you can't exactly expect too much with my first chapter and all. Sigh, I'm still proud of the outcome though. Please be patient, and maybe I'll be able to update soon. Jackie and I are eagerly waiting what you may to tell us! The more reviews, the bigger our inspiration, and more chapters put up. So review! Luv you all!**

**Izzy**


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